It’s no secret that 2020 has been a real doozy, but we’re forever grateful that artists continue to release songs, whether they’re reflective of the current situations or not. Ben Kessler and Lizzy McAlpine teamed up to bring the latest heartbreak ballad of the year, which released earlier this week. “False Art” provides an introspective glance into a picture-perfect relationship, one where the couple puts up a facade to hide what’s really happening. Most of us have probably been there before.
Ben is a Nashville-based artist who is known for his emotive R&B and pop melodies, infused with softly heartbreaking vocals. Lizzy is a Philadelphia native who has stockpiled over 100 songs because she is constantly writing and has made a name for herself on TikTok. The two teamed up to write the song, and Ben recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered the track.
The track is accompanied by a wonderful animated video by Littered Book Illustrations and while the song is a standalone masterpiece, the animations bring the heartbreaking lyrics to life, so I highly recommend watching the video while listening. The lyrics explore the underlying complexities of a relationship that seems perfect from the outside-looking-in, hence the title “False Art”, but both individuals are exhausting themselves by maintaining this facade while they’re just not happy. And while both people know how they’re feeling inside, they’re just waiting for the right moment to walk away but it’s not that simple, even though they know the inevitable will happen.
Ben and Lizzy build a stunning duet of tender vocals over a cascading multi-instrumental backing track. The illustrations perfectly complement the idea of breaking beneath the surface, but painting over it to maintain an appearance at your own expense. You can watch the video below.
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